Rare Plant and Vegetation Survey of Fort Simcoe State Park Pacific Biodiversity Institute 2 Rare Plant and Vegetation Survey of Fort Simcoe State Park George Wooten [email protected] Peter H. Morrison [email protected] and Hans M. Smith IV [email protected] January 2009 Pacific Biodiversity Institute P.O. Box 298 Winthrop, Washington 98862 509-996-2490 Recommended Citation Wooten, G., P.H. Morrison, and H.M. Smith IV, 2009. Rare Plant and Vegetation Survey of Fort Simcoe State Park. Pacific Biodiversity Institute, Winthrop, Washington. 91 p. Acknowledgements Juliet Rhodes, Diana Hackenburg, and Alexis Monetta assisted with entering and checking the data we collected into databases. The photographs in this report were taken by Peter Morrison and Hans Smith. Project Funding This project was funded by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. 3 Executive Summary Pacific Biodiversity Institute (PBI) conducted a rare plant and vegetation survey of Fort Simcoe State Park for the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission (WSPRC). Fort Simcoe State Park is located entirely within the Yakama Indian Reservation in Yakima County, Washington. Fort Simcoe State Park was mapped into 43 vegetation community polygons covered by 13 vegetation communities and 3 general land use types. Vegetation communities were in three predominant groups: Garry oak woodlands, shrub-steppe communities, and lithosol communities. We identified approximately 213 taxa at the park and 61 non-native species, or approximately 29% of the total number of species observed. Two state listed rare plants were found within Fort Simcoe State Park. We found a small population of American pillwort (Pilularia Americana) in a disturbed, weedy wetland dominated by Gairdner’s yampah (Perideridia gairdneri). We also located and mapped the extent of two populations of Hoover’s umbrellawort (Tauschia hooveri). The umbrellawort populations occurred in the thymeleaf buckwheat / Sandberg bluegrass association on lithosol at the northeast and southwest corners of the park. Fort Simcoe State Park has a long history of human use predating its use as a Military fort and Indian agency. Disturbances have altered many of the native plant communities in this area and brought in noxious weeds. We found 11 state-listed noxious weeds at Fort Simcoe State Park. Seven of the noxious weeds were Class B weeds and four were Class C weeds. The ecological condition of Fort Simcoe State Park varied from poor to excellent. The largest percentage of areas ranked in poor condition were classified as disturbed. Although these areas were not developed for recreation, they were sometimes so degraded that their original ecological condition could not be determined. The Garry oak woodlands were rated mostly in good and excellent condition. Some of the lithosol communities were also ranked in excellent condition. Fort Simcoe State Park contains many plant communities with a G1 or G2 global conservation status, indicating that they are critically imperiled or imperiled. Our recommendation is that management of the park should focus on protection of the imperiled plant communities and rare plant populations as one of the primary management goals. During our visit, we observed several wild horses grazing at Fort Simcoe State Park. These horses appeared to be trapped inside the fence and could not easily be caught and taken out. Thousands of wild horses roam the Yakama Indian Reservation, and these are widely acknowledged to cause heavy damage to plant communities. Even a couple horses can result in damage to rare plants. These horses were observed to be causing damage to the habitat for one of the rare plants found in the park, American pillwort (Pilularia americana), which is in a small wetland east of the parking area. We noted during our fieldwork that the actual fenced boundaries of the park are significantly different from the GIS boundary. We were told by the Park Ranger to stay within the fenced boundaries. There is a significant difference between the fenced boundary and the GIS boundary that needs resolution. 4 Table of Contents Introduction.................................................................................................................................6 Survey Conditions and Survey Routes.....................................................................................6 Vegetation Communities............................................................................................................7 Methods......................................................................................................................................................7 Historical Vegetation .................................................................................................................................8 Results........................................................................................................................................................9 Vegetation Mapping.............................................................................................................................. 9 Vegetation Community and Land Cover Types.................................................................................. 12 Rare Plant Surveys...................................................................................................................25 Methods....................................................................................................................................................25 Results......................................................................................................................................................26 Vascular Plant List for the 2008 Project Area ........................................................................29 Discussion and Recommendations ........................................................................................35 Noxious Weeds ........................................................................................................................................35 Ecological Condition................................................................................................................................35 Restoration Opportunities ........................................................................................................................37 Other Recommendations..........................................................................................................................38 GIS Products Produced ...........................................................................................................38 References ................................................................................................................................39 Appendix A – Ecological Condition Ranking System ...........................................................41 Appendix B – Vegetation Survey Codes and Instructions....................................................42 Appendix C – Definitions of Vegetation Community Conservation Status and Ranks ......44 Appendix D – Vegetation Survey Polygon Data.....................................................................45 Appendix E – Washington Natural Heritage Program Rare Plant Sighting Forms .............87 5 Introduction Fort Simcoe State Park is a 200-acre day-use park located on the Yakama Nation Indian Reservation, in Yakima County. Fort Simcoe State Park is located entirely within the Yakama Indian Reservation. A road goes through the middle of the park and two streams cross the park. Fort Simcoe State Park is developed as an interpretive center for its history as an army fort, Indian agency, and Indian campground. The park is not on a main thoroughfare, and appears to be used largely by local visitors and history buffs. Fort Simcoe property lies at the boundary between Garry oak woodlands and shrub-grassland vegetation zones. Fort Simcoe State Park was surveyed for rare plant occurrences, vegetation communities and characteristics, noxious weeds and ecological condition by PBI under contract with WSPRC. This report summarizes the activities and findings of the contracted work. Survey Conditions and Survey Routes Fort Simcoe State Park was visited on April 13, April 14, April 15, July 30, July 31, August 1 and August 7 by PBI botanists/ecologists and field assistants. The survey routes are shown in Figure 1. The park is surrounded by a barbed wire fence that we were informed by the Ranger marked its administrative boundary. Under the Ranger’s instruction, we did not visit areas that were outside the fence. These areas that were outside of the fence are mapped as “not surveyed” in our maps of the park. Figure 1. Field survey schedule and routes. 6 Vegetation Communities Methods The first step of this project was to assemble and review the existing data and literature available about Fort Simcoe State Park and its vegetation characteristics. Maps and remotely sensed data were assembled for each park and rare plant sightings were located on these maps. Initially, we used aerial photography and satellite imagery to digitize plant communities or mosaics of plant communities in a GIS environment. We reviewed orthorectified aerial photography and recent satellite images for discernable vegetation or landform patterns. Topographic maps and digital elevation models (DEMs) were also employed to assist the process of vegetation community delineation. Vegetation polygons were created by hand